After being massively impressed with Zino after tying it in the sample pack, I decided to blind buy Zeus based purely on the description of the notes as they appeared to be in line with my tastes.
Sadly, I am not so enamoured with Zeus. To my nose it has a strong urine scent and I cannot get past this. Without mentioning this, I asked a few friends what they thought about the fragrance and they all mentioned the smell of urine.
As a final point, I like fragrances that have longevity, to at least get through a long day. After applying a very small spray of Zeus on my wrist, I could still smell it strongly three days later, after six showers and numerous hand washes. It was so persistent that I couldn't wear any other fragrances until the end of day four. It is really far too strong to wear if one intends to wear different fragrances on the following days.
I absolutely love Zino, it's my most worn late autumn and winter scent. Unfortunately, Zeus has been a disappointment.
For anyone deciding between Zeus and Zino, I find Zeus smoother and sweeter. Zino has that tobacco and leather darkness, whereas Zeus gives me almond, cherry and caramel.
Zeus feels very put together. Nothing sticks out awkwardly even though there are several strong notes in the composition. The almond and cherry opening is memorable, but the soft woody dry down is what sold me.
A beautiful cold-weather fragrance. I think it could become heavy in the middle of summer, but on a cool evening the vanilla, caramel and cedarwood combination is excellent.
I expected something aggressive from a perfume called Zeus. It's actually surprisingly smooth. Cherry, almond and vanilla are the main notes on me, with a slightly powdery finish.
The chocolate is very subtle on my skin. Mostly I get almond, cherry, jasmine and vanilla. I actually prefer that because I was worried it would smell too gourmand.
This gets attention. I wore it out for dinner and two people asked what fragrance I had on. The dark cherry is probably the most noticeable part for the first hour.
Zeus opens with this beautiful almond note and then the dark cherry appears. It's sweet, but the cedarwood keeps the base from becoming too syrupy. Very polished.
The almond opening is gorgeous. It's slightly bitter rather than marzipan-sweet, which I prefer. The fragrance becomes warmer and sweeter as it sits on the skin.
This reminds me of an expensive dessert served in a very expensive hotel, in the best possible way. Dark cherry, chocolate and almond, but with jasmine running through everything so it still smells like perfume.
I like Zeus, although the powdery dry down took me by surprise. The opening is dark and gourmand, while several hours later it's much softer and almost creamy.
